Björk celebrated her 60th birthday by revealing how the proceeds from an earlier single helped finance a series of lawsuits against the Icelandic government.

Two years ago, the Icelandic artist had collaborated with Rosalía and Sega Bodega on the song “Oral”, deciding that all revenue would go to support a legal battle against salmon farming by a foreign company. This initiative was led by a group of residents from Ísafjörður, who oppose the operation of fish farms in their region.

When the song was released, Björk detailed the legal actions targeting the Icelandic government as part of the dispute with the aquaculture companies. She said:
“We have a team of people from Iceland’s largest environmental organizations, with lawyers who will handle other open-sea fish farming cases. I want to thank them all for their hard voluntary work. Industrial salmon farming is terrible for the environment. Farmed salmon suffer greatly and cause serious damage to our planet. This is an extremely harsh way of producing food. The fight against the fishing industry is part of the fight for the planet’s future.”

Listen to “Oral”
Björk ft. Rosalía: Oral

In an Instagram post marking the two-year anniversary of the song, Björk provided details on four cases funded by the proceeds from the track.

“Today we celebrate the two-year anniversary of ‘Oral’. I want to personally thank it for this incredibly generous gesture. You are everything, thank you!!! And thank you to all of you who supported our cause; the number of participants exceeded our wildest dreams, thank you!!!” she wrote, continuing:
“All proceeds were used to support Iceland so that the country would not be entirely consumed by the fish farming industry, and to create a new legal framework for nature protection.”

See her post

Björk then detailed the four cases:

• The first case was the initial one in Ísafjörður, helping residents stop the licensing of a fish farm in their fjord against their will.
• The second, a more costly legal case, involved marine spatial planning in Ísafjörður.
• She also mentioned cases of salmon escaping from fish farms in the Westfjord region at Tálknafjörður and Patreksfjörður, and another case concerning opposition to a fish farm.

The singer-songwriter added that on her 60th birthday, a new lawsuit was filed against the Icelandic government.

Salmon farming in open-sea facilities has faced criticism in Iceland after revelations of mass escapes of farmed fish, raising concerns about crossbreeding with wild salmon. Björk has accused Norwegian companies of causing “damage to large areas of fjords, to marine life, animals, and plants.”

Article photo: IBL / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia